London mayor unveils £34m energy efficiency and solar schemes

The latest phase of the £34 million Energy for Londoners programme has been unveiled by Sadiq Khan.

The mayor’s new scheme aims to make energy bills more affordable, workplaces more energy efficient and supply London with cleaner and more local energy sources like solar power.

A new £2.5 million package will target fuel poor homes, offering them free installations of boilers, heating controls and insulation worth up to £4,000.

The measures are expected to save householders an average of £225 every year.

As part of a new ‘Energy Leap’ project, the mayor will test new and innovative ways to cut energy bills “down to near zero” through whole house eco refurbishments, installing solar panels, heat pumps and other energy efficient and green measures.

Mr Khan aims to generate 1GW of energy from solar by 2030 and will trial a bulk buying solar purchase scheme later this year to reduce the costs of panels for Londoners.

As part of a 12-month pilot scheme, City Hall will buy locally generated clean energy and use it to power two Transport for London (TfL) depots – Northfields in Ealing and Northumberland Park in Haringey.

TfL also plans to install solar panels and energy efficiency measures across its buildings in a new £4.5 million refurbishment project.

Small businesses will be offered grants to replace old and inefficient boiler with cleaner ones under a £10 million commercial boiler scrappage scheme, the first of its kind in the UK.

The mayor has pledged to help both the public and private sector build large scale heat networks through a £3.5 million Decentralised Energy Enabling Project.

Mr Khan said: “It’s a sad fact that for many Londoners, keeping their homes warm during the cold winter months is a luxury they simply cannot afford. My Energy for Londoners scheme aims to help those most in need with grants for new boilers, windows and home insulation to help cut fuel bills.

“I’m also working on a number of ambitious projects to generate more local clean energy to power our homes, businesses and communities.”